Bell Curve

You took a briefcase of cash from a Russian "investor" to recommend a Strong Buy on an Internet stock—and it turned out that investor was an employee of the SEC. You're just down the hall from Madoff for the next decade or so.

2

25%

You just never got traction—everything you said "buy" tanked; everything you told investors to short went to the moon. You got fired but you have CFO-ish skills and now work for a chain of dry cleaners doing their books.

3

50%

You were fine. You weren't awesome in your recommendations; people tolerated you, took meetings with a forced smile. You kept your job 25 years, saved your pennies, and you'll retire to a farm upstate and have had a decent life.

4

75%

You were right on lots of stocks. And then your sector became hot. You were The Man or The Wom and now rival firms and hedge funds fight over $5 million signing bonuses for your talents. You won the Institutional Investor poll three years in a row for best analyst.

5

95%

Same as the last guy, only you TOOK the hedge fund job, bet big—and won. You now have $100 million of your own money, your own fun, and a reeeeally nice jet.